Actually, I wrote on 19 January 2002 that “I usually don’t read” them but that the excitement caused by one that month had made me change my habit. This nuance of language (that I didn’t use to, and was now starting to) passes Weinstein by. So does the need for accurate quotation: “usually don’t read” is not the same as “usually doesn’t read”. Moreover, on that occasion I find I was criticizing Weinstein for misusing the expression ‘zero-sum game’ to mean a pointless activity.

Weinstein defends his ignorance of expressive nuances—for example, that ‘sybaritic’ connotes specifically effeminizing self-indulgence—by citing free online dictionaries that share his imprecision. This, I submit, corroborates my assertion that he is not as careful about language as a good reviewer of theatre needs to be.